As office occupancy rates stagnate, employers are giving up on perks and turning to threats.
After more than two years of trying to coax workers back into offices, bosses are losing their patience.
The new pushes for in-person work mark a major shift as executives directly acknowledge the challenges with the model - in some cases saying productivity has declined, and citing fewer opportunities for spontaneous collaboration, mentorship and connection-building. Meanwhile, employers have new leverage as the labor market has cooled, leaving workers less room to be choosy.
“There’s more energy, collaboration, and connections happening since we’ve been working together at least three days per week,” Amazon spokesman Rob Munoz said. “We’ve heard this from lots of employees and the businesses that surround our offices.” While employers cite the collaborative benefits of spending time together in person, the majority of hybrid arrangements aren’t fostering the connections bosses want to see, according to Rob Cross, associate professor of management at Babson College who studies collaboration across various companies through surveys, email and meeting data. He’s found that mandates for a certain number of days in office are missing the mark, “because you’re not getting the right people who need to collaborate.
Software company Workday has also grappled with an “activity avalanche” amid the return to the office, according to Ashley Goldsmith, the company’s chief people officer. The bulk of the company’s employees spend half their time per quarter in a Workday office or on-site with a customer, prospect or other external partner. Workday also recently launched a program allowing employees to work remotely, from anywhere, up to 30 days a year.
For workers who value flexibility, the shift toward in-office work is unwelcome. Loreen Targos, a scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, had triplets last summer. The ability to do her job remotely offered the 37-year-0ld some grace as she transitioned back to work. During meetings, she often went off-camera to pump milk or nurse without having to miss discussions. She squeezed in head-down work in between naptimes and feeding schedules.
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